Judah's Captivity Symbolized

 

Ezekiel 12:1-1​6

 

November 13, 2023 

 

Judah's Captivity Symbolized

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house.  As for you, son of man, prepare for yourself an exile's baggage and go into exile by day in their sight. You shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.  You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile, and you shall go out yourself at evening in their sight, as those do who must go into exile.  In their sight, dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it.  In their sight, you shall lift the baggage upon your shoulder and carry it out at dusk. You shall cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.”

And I did as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage by day, as baggage for exile, and in the evening, I dug through the wall with my own hands. I brought out my baggage at dusk, carrying it on my shoulder in their sight.

In the morning, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’  Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are in it.’  Say, ‘I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them. They shall go into exile, into captivity.’  And the prince who is among them shall lift his baggage upon his shoulder at dusk and shall go out. They shall dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He shall cover his face, that he may not see the land with his eyes.  And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare. And I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he shall not see it, and he shall die there.  And I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops, and I will unsheathe the sword after them.  And they shall know that I am the Lord when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries.  But I will let a few of them escape from the sword, from famine and pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they go, and may know that I am the Lord.”

 

May I ask a question to not the unbeliever, but to the one who goes by the title of Christian?  If God called Israel His chosen people, a rebellious people, what do you think He calls those who go by the title Christian?  I can tell you what He calls a Follower of Christ, a saint, but many who go by the title of Christ are not following the authority of Scripture.  When young college students call for the death of all Jewish people, when people in the Church, say a woman has the right to kill the baby in her womb, when people who go by the title of Christian say they do not have an opinion on the Homosexual marriage, or the push to teach children that God made a mistake and they should change their sex, are we, not a rebellious people, a rebellious nation,

 

Hate is from one source, the evil one, and he has many names, but he is a liar and the father of lies.  The love of money is a little god that has control of many who go by the title of Christian.  

 

Yes, it is clear that the church has been evaded by the culture of the world, often what we call worship with the light turned down, and the performer on the stage lit up is more like a concert than worship.  Real worship should be happening each day, as one seeks fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

 

1 John 2:17, ^“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob ​Rice

Israel's New Heart and Spirit

Ezekiel 11:14-25

 

November 11, 2023

 

Israel's New Heart and Spirit

And the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far from the Lord; to us, this land is given for a possession.’  Therefore, say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.’  Therefore, say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’  And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations.  And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.  But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord God.”

Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.  And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city.  And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen went up from me.  And I told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.

 

Clarke had this insight on the people of Jerusalem: “These are the words of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, against those of Israel who had been carried away to Babylon with Jeconiah.“  They did not believe they would return, and they felt superior to them, that they were more special to God. We find the following in Jeremiah 24:1-7, “After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile from Jerusalem Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, together with the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and the metal workers, and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me this vision: behold, two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord.  One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten.  And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs, the good figs are very good, and the bad figs are very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.”

Then the word of the Lord came to me:  “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans.  I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up.  I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

 

Jan and I attended a funeral service at a church building. And I saw these signs in the prime parking area, Reserved for Senior Pastor, and next to it was a Sign Reserved for the Senior Pastor Wife.  I took a picture and told my pastor I had not seen his and his wife's sign.  It was meant to be a joke, but he replied that the Servant does not have special parking.

 

We in the Church are not that different than the people of Ezekiel's time; we call some folks saints for a special deed they did, yet Scripture makes clear that God calls all who are in Christ saints.  Maybe we need to look at what Jesus said about the Window that gave the two mites.

 

And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So, He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”  

 

We like the people of Jerusalem in Ezekiel's time do not see things as Jesus does.  I believe you will find the ground level at the Cross.  We are all called, we are all special, and only God is to be exalted.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

Judgment on Wicked Counselors

 

 

 

Ezekiel 11: 1-13

 

November 10, 2023

 

Judgment on Wicked Counselors

The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of the Lord, which faces east. And behold, at the entrance of the gateway there were twenty-five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.  And he said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city; who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’  Therefore, prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man.”

And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the Lord: So, you think, O house of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind.  You have multiplied your slain in this city and have filled its streets with the slain.  Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it, they are the meat, and this city is the cauldron, but you shall be brought out of the midst of it.  You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, declares the Lord God.  And I will bring you out of the midst of it, and give you into the hands of foreigners, and execute judgments upon you.  You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel, and you shall know that I am the Lord.  This city shall not be your cauldron, nor shall you be the meat in the midst of it. I will judge you at the border of Israel, and you shall know that I am the Lord. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you.”

And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, “Ah, Lord God! Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel?”

 

In the USA we do not have princes who rule over the people, but we have elected men and women who have no understanding of Truth, and that it was not the voter but God who has numbered their days and put them in the place of leadership Many are like the princes talked about in Ezekiel, and they are leading the people like a shepherd who cares not for his sheep.

 

They are not the only ones; many go by the title of pastor who also do not teach or preach the Truth, and they will be judged in ways that they cannot believe, but it will be an eternal judgment.  It has been said that it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. Many a leader in the business world acts as the princes talked about in this book, with no regard for anything but themselves, and they also will not like what is coming, for they have no fear of God are his judgment.

 

We, the people of God, those who by the faith God has given us, need to repent and look to the Truth. Jesus is the Truth.  And we will be the first to come under judgment.  Many who say they are followers of Christ have forgotten how to love their neighbors, seek to invest in ways to help the under-resources, and look to God for all things.  Many have lost the ability to be civil, to listen, and not to get angry when another has formed an opinion they do not agree with.  Why, because they have done as Demas, a fellow worker with the apostle Paul, while in prison in Rome. Demas had at one time been one of Paul’s “fellow workers” in the gospel ministry along with Mark and Luke and others (Philemon 1:24).  But Paul, writing Timothy, tells about His fellow worker in the gospel, leaving Him in that he had fallen in love with the little gods of this world.  (2 Timothy 4:10)

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Glory of the Lord Leaves the Temple

 

Ezekiel 10:1-21

 

November 9, 2023

 

The Glory of the Lord Leaves the Temple

Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in appearance like a throne.  And he said to the man clothed in linen, “Go in among the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.”

And he went in before my eyes.  Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.  And the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord.  And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

And when he commanded the man clothed in linen, “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he went in and stood beside a wheel.  And a cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. ⁸ The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings.

And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling beryl.  And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel.  When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning, as they went, but in whatever direction the front wheel faced, the others followed without turning as they went.  And their whole body, their rims, and their spokes, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around—the wheels that the four of them had.  As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing “the whirling wheels.” And everyone had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

And the cherubim mounted up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the Chebar Canal.  And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them. And when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn from beside them.  When they stood still, these stood still, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

These were the living creatures that I saw underneath the God of Israel by the Chebar canal, and I knew that they were cherubim.  Each had four faces, and each four wings, and underneath their wings the likeness of human hands.  And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the Chebar canal. Each one of them went straightforward.

I have often said I am an uneducated man, and my simple takeaway for this chapter is this: when God withdraws His spirit, evil that has come to kill and steal and destroy has a free hand.  Today, we who are in Christ have His Spirit living in us.  We have Christ's power to be light in a world that is full of darkness.  

I. Previously, we read that Jerusalem would be judged by siege, slaughter, famine, and disease. Now we learn that Jerusalem will also be burnt, and the fire comes from the throne and glory of God itself; the coals of fire come from among the cherubim.

ii. “Emphasis on fire in this chapter is noteworthy because it looked forward to the fire which destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (II Kings 25:9).” (Feinberg)

iii. “In Isaiah 6, the coals were for the purification of the prophet; here they were for the destruction of the wicked. Where evil is concerned, it is true that ‘our God is a consuming fire’ as stated in Hebrews 12:29.” (Feinberg)

Taken from “Enduring Word.”

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What Comsumes Your Mind Controls Your Life

 What Consumes Your Mind, Controls Your Life

Our thoughts are not harmless background noise—they shape our attitudes, choices, and ultimately, our destiny. What you dwell on daily will either draw you closer to God’s truth or pull you deeper into fear, sin, and distraction. The Bible makes it clear: the battlefield for your life is in your mind.

 

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The Power of Your Thought Life

Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Your mind is like fertile soil. Whatever seeds you plant—whether worry, anger, lust, gratitude, or faith—will grow and produce fruit in your life. If you constantly meditate on what’s wrong, who wronged you, or what could go wrong, it’s only a matter of time before anxiety and bitterness consume you. But if you fix your thoughts on what is true, pure, and praiseworthy, your life will follow the same direction (Philippians 4:8).  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

 

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Three Ways Thoughts Control Life

1. Thoughts Shape Beliefs
What you repeatedly think about becomes what you believe—about God, yourself, and others.

·       If you rehearse lies like “I’m not enough” or “God doesn’t care,” you’ll live defeated.

·       If you meditate on God’s promises, you’ll live with hope and courage.

2. Beliefs Drive Behavior
Every choice begins with a thought. For example:

·       Lustful thoughts lead to temptation and sin.

·       Fearful thoughts lead to hesitation and missed opportunities.

·       God-centered thoughts lead to obedience and blessing.

3. Behavior Shapes Destiny
The small, daily choices—rooted in what you think—determine the course of your life.
That’s why Romans 12:2 urges us to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

 

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How to Take Back Control of Your Thoughts

Identify the Lies
Write down recurring negative or sinful thoughts. Compare them to God’s Word. If they contradict Scripture, they’re lies from the enemy.

Replace Them with Truth - Use Scripture as your weapon. When fear creeps in, declare 2 Timothy 1:7—“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.”

Guard Your Mind Daily
Limit what you feed your thoughts. Social media, TV, and conversations all plant seeds—good or bad. Be intentional about what you allow in.

  Meditate on God’s Word
  Joshua 1:8 says to meditate on Scripture day and night. When your mind is saturated with truth, lies lose their power.

Pray Without Ceasing
Prayer shifts your focus from problems to God’s presence. The more you pray, the more peace will rule your mind (Philippians 4 6​-7).  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all

 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ

Jesus.”

 

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Final Thought:

Your life is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts. If your mind is consumed by worry, resentment, or temptation, those things will eventually control your decisions and relationships. But when you choose to fill your mind with God’s truth, you’ll experience peace, clarity, and purpose.

Ask Yourself: What has been consuming my mind lately—and is it drawing me closer to Christ or pulling me away?

 

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Idolaters Killed

 

Ezekiel 9 1-11

 

November 8, 2023

 

Idolaters Killed

Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, “Bring near the executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand.”  And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his weapon for slaughter in his hand, and with them was a man clothed in linen, with a writing case at his waist. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist.  And the Lord said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”  And to the others, he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity.  Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children, and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So, they began with the elders who were before the house.  Then he said to them, “Defile the house and fill the courts with the slain. Go out.” So, they went out and struck in the city.  And while they were striking, and I was left alone, I fell upon my face, and cried, “Ah, Lord God! Will you destroy all the remnants of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

 

Then he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.’  As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”

 

And behold, the man clothed in linen, with the writing case at his waist, brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded me.”

 

Is this the God you worship? If not, you need to examine yourself, for He is the I Am, and He changes not.  It is hard for one like me, who is in Christ but such a mess, to understand how our holy and righteous God has not brought judgment on the United States of America.  But it will happen, and when it does, will you receive the mark on your forehead?  Are you one who has sighed and groaned over all the abominations that are committed in the USA?  And what about you, who have heard the gospel from other nations, will you receive the mark on your forehead?

 

First, let's examine the people who go by the title of Christian. Do you stay at a place you call the Church, but it is just a building where the people assemble, and some Followers of Christ, who have faulty teachings?  Do you believe that Jesus is God's only Son and that He paid the price for all sin, both yours and mine? It requires you to invite Him to forgive you and be your God and Lord, and submit to His authority in your life.  If the answer is yes, then you should speak out on sin both in your life and agree with God that, as His saint, you have been out of step with His will.  You should hold to the truth that Jesus is the Truth.  His written word has no error.  Each day, put on Jesus, seek His will, help those in need, and stand firm in Christ.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Abominations in the Temple

 Ezekiel 8:1-18

 

November 7, 2023

 

Abominations in the Temple

In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, with the elders of Judah sitting before me, the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there. ² Then I looked, and behold, a form that had the appearance of a man. Below what appeared to be his waist was fire, and above his waist was something like the appearance of brightness, like gleaming metal.   He put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the valley.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, lift up your eyes now toward the north.” So, I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the altar gate, in the entrance, was this image of jealousy.  And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.”

God is jealous about His chosen chasing after the little gods of this world, such as wealth, and power.

And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall.  Then he said to me, “Son of man, dig in the wall.” So, I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance.  And he said to me, “Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.”  So, I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel.  And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’”  He said also to me, “You will see still greater abominations that they commit.”

The elders of Israel are worshiping images of beasts, and other things, which is an abomination before God.

Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these.”

A woman sitting in the temple weeping for a false god was looking for help.  I was not sure why she was putting faith in this little god, so I went to “GotQuestion” and this is what they said: The cult of Tammuz promised rich provision in the form of grain and sheep, but it is only Jesus who gives life and gives it to the full (John 10:10). It is said that Tammuz was a shepherd. But only Christ, the Good Shepherd, willingly laid down His life for His sheep (John 10:11, 18). Whatever modern-day idols we chase in the desire to have plenty, it is only God who can provide what we need (James 1:17).

And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east.  Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to theirnose.  Therefore, I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

Last the sun worshipers, the only problem was they were worshiping the wrong Son, Jesus is the only one worthy of worship.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Day of God’s Wrath

 Ezekiel 7:14-27

 

November 6, 2023

 

The Day of God’s Wrath

 

“They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but none goes to battle, for my wrath is upon all their multitude. The sword is without; pestilence and famine are within. He who is in the field dies by the sword, and him who is in the city famine and pestilence devour. And if any survivors escape, they will be on the mountains, like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, each one over his iniquity.  All hands are feeble, and all knees turn to water. They put on sackcloth, and horror covers them. Shame is on all faces and baldness on all their heads. They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it, for it was the stumbling block of their iniquity.  His beautiful ornament they used for pride, and they made their abominable images and their detestable things of it. Therefore, I make it an unclean thing to them.  And I will give it into the hands of foreigners for prey, and to the wicked of the earth for spoil, and they shall profane it.  I will turn my face from them, and they shall profane my treasured place. Robbers shall enter and profane it.

“Forge a chain! For the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.  I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their holy places^[ shall be profaned.  When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there shall be none.  Disaster comes upon disaster; rumor follows rumor. They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders. The king mourns, the prince is wrapped in despair, and the hands of the people of the land are paralyzed by terror. According to their way, I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

God has not changed; He is the same today as yesterday, or better stated, as He was in Ezekiel's day.  If you read these verses, they remind me of the USA.  They put their faith and trust in their silver and gold, and they worship their stuff.  The leaders were prideful and arrogant, with no fear of God.  It seems like they worship what they were going to do and eat, but are not thankful for the many blessings of God.

Yes, this sounds like the Nation I live in, we have put our many blessings before God and have a nation that has little value for life, truth, and we have seen our freedom challenged.  The little gods that so many are putting faith in have brought about God, who is the giver of blessings, to withdraw His hand from our Nation.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

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The Day of the Wrath of the Lord

 

Ezekiel 7:1-13

 

November 5, 2023

 

The Day of the Wrath of the Lord

The word of the Lord came to me:  “And you, O son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.  Now the end is upon you, and I will send my anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways and punish you for all your abominations.  And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, but I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

“Thus says the Lord God: Disaster after disaster!  Behold, it comes.  An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes.  Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come; the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting on the mountains.  Now I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, spend my anger against you, and judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations.  And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord, who strikes.

“Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded.  Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be preeminence among them.  The time has come; the day has arrived. Let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn, for wrath is upon all their multitude.   For the seller shall not return to what he has sold, while they live. For the vision concerns all their multitude; it shall not turn back; and because of his iniquity, none can maintain his life.

 

At the beginning of Chapter 7, the first few verses, God said to the people of Israel, the following:

The end has come upon the four corners of the land.  

Now the end is upon you, and I will send my anger upon you; 

I will judge you according to your ways,  

I will punish you for all your abominations.

And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity,

I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. 

Then you will know that I am the Lord.

 

Ezekiel is telling Israel about the things that are going to happen. The future disaster brought by the Babylonian armies was revealed to Ezekiel. 

 

But you and I have also been warned about what is called the end times, in the book of Matthew, and in Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation.  No one but the Father knows when Jesus will be sent to get His Bride, the Church.  A wise person would be ready, a wise person would examine themselves to make sure they are in the Faith.  A wise person would study and pray that they were in Christ and Christ was living in them, for the hour is late, and you do not understand when you will be taken from this world.  Are the people you love ready for Jesus to come back?  The GOD of Ezekiel's Time is the God of Today.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

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Judgment Against Idolatry

 

 

 

Ezekiel 6:1-14

 

November 4, 2023

 

Judgment Against Idolatry

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, and say, You, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.  Your altars shall become desolate, and your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain before your idols.  And I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars.  Wherever you dwell, the cities shall be waste and the high places ruined, so that your altars will be waste and ruined, your idols broken and destroyed, your incense altars cut down, and your works wiped out.  And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

 

Do you wonder what that would look like in the United States of America if God tore down our altars and cast down the people before the altars they worship?  Where would the bodies be cast? What are some of the altars where we worship?  How about one of the biggest, the altar of self, it has many altars, money, wealth, homes, and stuff.  What about the altar power, your status in the community, or your job?  What about sports, you know, where you spend your time, golf, fishing, hunting?  What about the altar of pride?  And Sex, yes, it has many worshipers.  Yes, we have many idols we worship, and yes, God, your Creator, is not pleased when you put them before Him.

 

“Yet I will leave some of you alive. When you have among the nations some who escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries, then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations.  And they shall know that I am the Lord. I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them.”

Thus says the Lord God: “Clap your hands and stamp your foot and say, Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.  He who is far off shall die of pestilence, and he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who is left and is preserved shall die of famine. Thus, I will spend my fury upon them.  And you shall know that I am the Lord, when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every leafy oak, wherever they offered pleasing aroma to all their idols.  And I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land desolate and waste, in all their dwelling places, from the wilderness to Riblah. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

 

I like you have worship at these altars of these little gods, and I have found they cannot give peace, hope, and joy; they cannot give life, but they demand much.  And this I have experienced, that in Christ Jesus I’ve found the peace, joy, and hope, I've found the love and fulfillment I search for in the little gods of this world.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Rebelling Against God's Rule

 

 

Ezekiel 5:5-17

 

November 3, 2023

 

“Thus says the Lord God: This is Jerusalem. I have set her in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.  And she has rebelled against my rules by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against my statutes more than the countries all around her; for they have rejected my rules and have not walked in my statutes. Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you are more turbulent than the nations that are all around you, and have not walked in my statutes or obeyed my rules, and have not even acted according to the rules of the nations that are all around you,  therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, even I, am against you. And I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.  And because of all your abominations, I will do with you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again.  Therefore,                                        fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers. And I will execute judgments on you, and any of you who survive, I will scatter to all the winds.  Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will withdraw.  My eye will not spare, and I will have no pity.  A third part of you shall die of pestilence and be consumed with famine in your midst; a third part shall fall by the sword all around you; and a third part I will scatter to all the winds and will unsheathe the sword after them.

“Thus, shall my anger spend itself, and I will vent my fury upon them and satisfy myself. And they shall know that I am the Lord—that I have spoken in my jealousy—when I spend my fury upon them.  Moreover, I will make you a desolation and an object of reproach among the nations all around you and in the sight of all who pass by.  You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations all around you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and fury, and with furious rebukes—I am the Lord; I have spoken— when I send against you the deadly arrows of famine, arrows for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, and when I bring more and more famine upon you and break your supply of bread.  I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will rob you of your children. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword upon you. I am the Lord; I have spoken.”

 

Ezekiel is referring to the Babylonian siege, and as a prophet of God, he was shown this before it took place.  His action with his hair was God’s way of letting the people know about the judgment they had brought on themselves.  Yes, they would have famine, pestilence, and the sword, coming from the siege of Jerusalem.  The prophet Jeremiah had this to say on the subject, in Chapter 15:2, “And when they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD: “‘Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity.’  It has been said, “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry God.”  That is where disobedience got them, and one must remember that God does not​ change.

 

If I were a prophet, I would warn the West that disobedience brings God’s anger and obedience brings blessing.  The West and the USA have gone after the little gods of this world, and we are living in foolishness, with no fear of God, as a nation.  The god that most people in the USA worship is money.

 

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice